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Acupuncture has been
shown to be helpful in treating a variety of conditions in children.
Acupuncture needles are solid and much smaller than the hollow needles used
for vaccinations. Patients can feel the needle pierce the skin, but there is
no pain. However, because children may be afraid of needles, getting their
cooperation may be difficult, depending on their age.
Acupuncture is an ancient practice in which very fine needles are inserted
into the skin at strategic points on the body to relieve pain and treat
disease. The Chinese developed acupuncture centuries ago according to the
theory that energy flows through channels between the surface of the body
and internal organs. Pain and disease are the result of these channels
becoming blocked. By placing needles at one end of the channel or the other,
healthy energy can be restored.
Western medicine¡¯s view is that the placement of acupuncture needles at
specific pain points releases endorphins and opioids, the body¡¯s natural
painkillers, and perhaps immune system cells as well as neurotransmitters
and neurohormones in the brain. Research has shown that glucose and other
bloodstream chemicals become elevated after acupuncture.
Jane B. Pettit Comprehensive Pain Management Centre
At the pain centre, acupuncture treatments often include inserting needles
into locations on the ear that correspond with body ¡°trigger points.¡± This
is usually in addition to inserting needles directly into the body¡¯s trigger
points. Sometimes very tiny needles are left in the ears for a couple of
weeks, covered by tape, to extend treatment beyond the physician¡¯s office.
Studies have shown that patients who are sedated to undergo acupuncture do
not have as successful results as those who are conscious during the
procedure. At the Jane B. Pettit Comprehensive Pain Management Centre at
Children¡¯s Hospital of Wisconsin, most acupuncture patients are 12 or older.
However, a mature 10-year-old began receiving acupuncture treatments at the
pain centre for chronic abdominal pain that did not respond to surgery or
medication and was causing the child to miss school. Initially, he received
a one-hour treatment every three weeks. Today, he is pain free and plays
hockey regularly. He receives acupuncture once every 10-12 weeks for
maintenance.
In addition to abdominal pain, the pain management centre has used
acupuncture with success in treating ailments such as fibromyalgia (a
chronic pain condition affecting muscles and connective tissues), chronic
headaches, neck pain from whiplash, knee and hip pain from arthritis,
asthma, pain caused by sickle-cell anaemia and even shingles (a painful rash
caused by a virus).
The pain centre is conducting a study in which acupuncture is used to
alleviate nausea following tonsillectomy.
Boston study of acupuncture and children
In a study conducted at Children¡¯s Hospital in Boston, and published in
Pediatrics (Volume 105(4) supplement of April 2000), 70% of children who had
acupuncture felt the treatment had helped their symptoms. Fifty-nine percent
of patients¡¯ parents agreed that acupuncture had helped with symptoms. Only
one of the 30 children who responded directly to the study¡¯s interviewers
said the treatment made symptoms worse. Two-thirds of children rated the
therapy as pleasant.
For example, one 17-year-old girl, diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome,
endometriosis and headache, said, ¡°Acupuncture was not painful, and was very
relaxing.¡± Another 17-year-old girl, who had endometriosis, said, ¡°It
definitely helped the pain. It really works and is not painful, and it
brought my energy back.¡± And a 17-year-old boy with pain and nerve problems
remarked, ¡°It helped the pain. I tried a lot of treatments. This was the
last resort, but the best. I wish I had tried it first.¡±
Almost 80% of study participants were female and almost all were white. Of
the 47 initially contacted for the study, 15 children were age 12 or under
when treated and 32 were 13-20 years old. The most frequent diagnoses were
migraine headaches, endometriosis and reflex sympathetic dystrophy (a
chronic syndrome in which pain continues in an area after an injury). The
median number of acupuncture treatments (the level at which there were the
same number of patients above and below) was eight. Most patients completed
treatment within three months.
The study¡¯s authors note that children suffering from unrelieved severe,
chronic pain may be willing to undergo short-term discomfort to achieve
long-term results. The authors admit that study results may be difficult to
generalize to a typical pediatric population and suggest that additional
studies be conducted to quantify the costs and effectiveness of acupuncture
treatment for pediatric pain.
Lynn M. Rusy, MD
Associate Professor of Anesthesiology
Medical College of Wisconsin
Associate Director
Jane B. Pettit Comprehensive Pain Management Centre
Children¡¯s Hospital of Wisconsin
The American Academy of Medical Acupuncture is currently developing board
certification criteria. Dr. Rusy has achieved preliminary board
certification status from the organization, which requires formal, approved
education, clinical practice and a proficiency exam.
Article Created: 2001-05-30
Article Updated: 2001-05-30
Information resource:
http://healthlink.mcw.edu/article/991233942.html |
